Scott,
My grandfather was an electrician on the DL&W railroad. Deleware, Lackawanna and Western. He started out as a carpenter but the railroad (RR) needed electricians. So he taped up his lineman's pliers and became an electrician. He use to maintain the signals from Hoboken to parts in western NJ. The DL&W merged with the Erie RR and became the E-L RR. They were later taken over by Conrail. Conrail also took over the D&H, Central Jersey, and something in Boaton. ( I believe it was the Boston and Maine.?) There also was the New York Central which merged with the Penn. RR to create the Penn Central. The Susie Q still runs around here these days. It is still alive and kicking.
Harold
